Kaylee Childers has been playing sports since age 4 when she started playing teeball. She’s been in a committed relationship with softball ever since.

She is currently a right fielder and one of the pitchers at FMU. She credits her grandfather for being her inspiration and the driving force behind her success in softball. He took her to her games when she was little and now even though he lives in Illinois, Childer’s home state, he frequently visits the Griffin Athletic Complex to see her play.

Childers said the long drives her grandparents make are special to her, and she isn’t afraid to admit that one of her worst fears on the softball field is letting her family down, as well as her teammates and coaches. She said she doesn’t let them down often and has experience being the center of attention while playing at a college level. She was the starting pitcher at Lake Land College, a junior college in Illinois, during a post-season run that ended in the national tournament.

Childers said she has made a big jump coming to FMU from Lake Land, which was just a few hours from her house. She played softball there with many girls that she has known her whole life and now she is thousands of miles from her home and is playing with girls she had never met before coming to FMU.

Childers said she loves her teammates and enjoys playing in the beautiful South Carolina spring weather. Her favorite part about FMU is the softball stadium that she will call home for the next two years. “I really like the awesome softball field,” Childers said. “We have a beautiful facility. It’s really nice to play on something like that.”

Childers said that the goals she has set for herself this season are to do the best that she can, whether it be on the mound or in the field, and help her team reach the conference tournament.

Before a game, Childers can be found jamming out in her locker room to hip hop and upbeat songs, which she says get her hyped up. During the game, she isn’t much for leading the trademark softball cheers, but she can be found clapping along and encouraging her teammates.

When she isn’t playing softball, she enjoys being on the road. She loves traveling and hanging out with her friends and teammates. Her dream vacation is a trip to California. However, since she can’t travel across the country during the school year, whenever she has a free day she tries to take the short trip to Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Childers said she likes attending FMU and enjoys her sociology major. Her favorite classes this semester are her sociology classes, but her favorite professor so far is her political science professor Dr. Rick Almeida. She said she likes his laid back attitude and his ability to relate with his students.

Childers said she enjoys being in Florence, which according to her is four times bigger than her hometown in Illinois. Her favorite part about the city is that there are so many places to eat. She is a fan of Bojangles and Grouchos for a quick meal and Percy and Willie’s when she is in a classy mood.

After school, she isn’t quite sure what career path she wants to pursue, but she does know that softball has helped her with discipline and time management – two things that will be needed in the job world. In the future, she doesn’t plan on playing softball competitively but would like to play on a slow pitch team just for fun.